Katherine Sasser had been keeping an eye on the mailbox for the last couple of weeks.

She wasn’t the only one, because at about the same time in other places, Hannah Yount, Michelle White and Tyler Barnes were watching to see what the mail carrier would bring to them.

When they got the news, it was all very good.

The four high school Juniors are this year’s Governor’s Scholars for Breathitt County. And in addition to the four being honored with the academic enhancement, a fifth high school Junior - Codey Morton - will be going to the Governor’s School of the Arts in Lexington this Summer.

For Sasser, the news was a bit of a surprise and a guessing game. “I found out a day before the day everyone else knew, so I was trying to think who would or would not be named along with me.” The daughter of Dell and Carla Rodriguez Sasser, Katherine’s a Junior at Jackson High School, and admitted Monday that she breathed a collective sigh of relief after hearing about the selection. “I was truly excited, but I also was kind of relieved, because I worried about being selected so much.”

Finding out if she’d be a Governor’s Scholar was easy for Hannah Yount. “My Dad told me, because they sent the results to the school.” Hannah’s the daughter of Jim and Martha Yount, and since her father’s the Principal of Jackson High School, things were a little easier for this JHS Junior thanks to her fellow classmate. “Overall, I was really happy, because Katherine got hers the day before I got mine. But now that the winners have been announced, we still don’t know where or when we’ll be gone. We won’t know until the end of May.”

Perhaps the most ecstatic of the group was Michelle White. She certainly had to travel the most distance to check the mailbox. “I had a college class up at the Lees campus that day, and before the next college class I’d have, I drove between classes to the Lost Creek Post Office to check the mail and see if I got the award. I checked every day for a week, with no results,” said Michelle, who’s a Junior at Breathitt High School and the daughter of J. D. and Christine White. Then, just in case, Michelle looked at the Post Office one more time. “I checked the mail, and there it was. A big envelope, saying that I’d won. My Mom was so excited, probably because it saved her so much money. As for myself, Wow!”

Then there was Tyler Barnes. When he got the word that he’d been chosen as one of the “Fantastic Four”, the Junior at Jackson High School said very little, but made up for it with a big show of action. “I was happy to get the award, no doubt about it. I did the “Power Fist” thing, as if I did “Oh, yeah, I got it!” As for an encore of the Power Fist, the son of Don and Kim Barnes jokingly promised he wouldn’t show his fist again for the camera.

None of the four Governor’s Scholars for this year know where they’re going, but at least Michelle’s already packed for the trip. “I’ve already got my suitcases filled up with all my clothes that I’ll be taking with me. My little brother, Adam, told me, ‘I’m gonna catch up on 12 years, so I’m sleeping in your bed while you’re gone’.” Michelle’s hoping she’ll make the trip to one of the places that will be home to some of the other students statewide this summer, Morehead State University. “I’m thinking Morehead because it’s close to home, and I’m very familiar with the campus.”

Michelle may be joined there by Hannah Yount. “The focus area I really want to do is Music. But I also signed up for Psychology and Astronomy. It will probably be music, hopefully, which should be at Morehead State.” Meanwhile Barnes has signed up for Psychology, and looks forward to spend his summer a little farther out west. “I’d like to go somewhere like Bellarmine College in Louisville, or Centre College in Danville.” And if Tyler goes to Danville, he’ll more than likely be joined by a fellow classmate at JHS. “I signed up for Biological Studies, and I hope I go to Centre College, where they have those classes available.”

Established in 1983, the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program provides academic and personal growth through the balance of a strong liberal arts program, with a full co-curricular and residential life experience. Such as the four chosen from our county this year, students must complete an application and compete with others from across Kentucky. Those selected attend the program free of charge. The program’s mission is striving to enhance Kentucky’s next generation of civic and economic leaders, and to create models of educational excellence for teachers and students.

And that mission of excelling in education helps to build a fiery desire in those chosen. A desire to go further in in their studies - and in life. “I’d like to go to Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, and major in Dietetics and Nutrition. I like the study of food, and after working as a Dietician, I’d like to retire and have my own bakery,” Hannah Yount told the Voice Monday morning. For her classmate Katherine Sasser, that mission could mean going out to famed halls of learning. “I want to go to a private liberal arts school. I looked at Vassar College (in Poughkeepsie, New York), and Tulane University (in New Orleans), where I would have a double major in Biology and Art. And then, I’d go on to medical school. I want to become a reconstructive plastic surgeon.”

That particular career is also of interest to Breathitt High’s Michelle White. “I’m not sure on where I want to go, but I’d like to go to medical school and either be a reconstructive plastic surgeon, or an anesthesiologist…But I’m so excited to go. My mom said, ‘You’re gonna miss me when you’re gone’, and I told her, ‘Well, I will miss the homemade food. I won’t get any soup beans and cornbread at Morehead’,” joking about the summer trip. And Jackson High’s Tyler Barnes has locked his sights on life beyond graduation from high school. “I want to go to EKU (Eastern Kentucky University, in Richmond), and go to their Criminology Department. I’d like to be a part of their Police Academy…Then after working, I’d like to enjoy retirement and be very active in retirement. I’d be going from a chair at work to a chair on the boat.”

While the talk was about the Governor’s Scholars, one student was singled out for his accomplishments. In fact, Codey Morton was also awaiting a letter to see if he was going to the Governor’s School of the Arts at Transylvania University in Lexington. “I was at work at Wendy’s when I got a call from my Mom, saying that I got a big envelope. Mom said she could feel me ‘glowing’ over the phone. And I was having a rough day at work, so that lightened things up,” noted the Jackson High School Junior who’s the son of Richard and Patti Morton.

Codey will be going to Transy from June 22nd to July 12th, and will specialize in Creative Writing. “When I first heard about this school, I wanted to try Music, but while I play guitar, I can’t read music. People say I write good, so I wrote a story during the application, and after a few steps, they liked it, and I was in.” He added that he’s excited about going to the school in Lexington. “Very excited. They’ll be a lot of workshops with authors, as well as other classes and plenty of field trips.” As for his future, Codey is thinking of a career as a writer or a psychologist, adding “I like to think what’s going on in other people’s minds.”

For her fantistic finish, Michelle got a heapin’-helpin’ of praise from her Principal, Derek McKnight. “Michelle White is a tremendous person, and I’m very proud of her academic standing. From the 7th Grade on, she’s scored ‘Distinguished’ on every part of the CATS testing. And she is so pleasant to be around. She has a big smile on her face the whole time she’s here. She’ll represent Breathitt High School exceptionally well as a Governor’s Scholar.”

Meanwhile up on Highland Avenue, the smile across JHS Principal Jim Yount’s face was wide as a new four-lane road. “I’m very impressed with the young men and women that were selected. We have 28 Juniors in the class this year. Katherine, Tyler, and Hannah were named Governor’s Scholars, while Codey was selected to the Governor’s School of the Arts. That’s four Juniors, which is over ten percent of the class. That’s very good. And, I’m impressed what Mr. Syigel told me of this group. Mr. Syigel (Chet Syigel, who’s the school’s Career Awareness Person) helps our students out with getting scholarships. And he told me all he had to do was to give them the paperwork and the students took care of it themselves. They’re a tremendous bunch of Junior students.”

Katherine Sasser had been keeping an eye on the mailbox for the last couple of weeks.